Apparatus for unbelting ammunition



Oct. 22, i946. M. R. WILLIAMS Y APPARATUS FOR UNBELTING AMMUNITION Filed March l, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1v mmwgm Oct. 2% 6.

M. R. WILLIAMS Y 2,409,651` APPARATUS FR UNBELTING AMMUNITION Filed March 1, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 Marle B Willams s@ amgvmm Patented Oct. 22, 1946 Unirse STAT APPARATUS FOR UNBELTING AMMUNITION Merle n. williams, san Antonie, rex.

Application'March 1, 1944, Serial No. 524,565

(o1. sei-4s.)

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 10 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment'to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to ammunition belt loading machines in generaLand in particular to a modification thereof in the form of an adaptor providing for unloading operations.

It is frequently necessary to unbelt and rebelt ammunition. When ammunition is unbelted by hand, the link is often twisted so as to bind, and a much greater force is required to free the cartridge from the link, resulting in forcing the bullet into the cartridge case and causing a high percentage of short rounds. On the other hand, ii a cartridge is pushed straight out of a link the orce required .is much less and the probability of short rounds is considerably lessened.

According to the invention, a jig is provide which is adapted to be used with the ordinary gang belt loading machine, which holds the cartridges in such manner that only a straight axial force is applied.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide for unloading of cartridge belts by straight axial pressure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device whereby a belt loading machine will be adapted for unloading purposes.

The speciiic nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the belt loading machine with reversed cartridges and with the unloading jig in place.

Figure 2 is a front perspective View of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the machine in position at the end of the cartridge removing stroke, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the unloading jig.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown a well-known type of belt loading machine comprising a bed plate I having grooves 2 for the reception of Cartridges and belt links. A front flange 3 with serrations I aligned with the grooves 2 serves as a stop for the belt links 5 in the normal use of the machine when the cartridges are urged point first therethrough by a, pusher bar B actuated by a handle I and levers 8.

For unloading, the cartridges are placed in the grooves 2 with points toward the pusher bar 6 and a jig 9 is placed over the machine to hold the links 5 while the pusher bar 5 forces the cartridges out of the links.

The jig 9, in a preferred embodiment, comprises-a framework having two similar end pieces I@ and a center piece III' and cross-bracing members Il and i2. Fastened to cross member I2 is a series of parallel spacers I3 designed to overlie the ridges Ill between grooves 2 to form slide compartments for the separate cartridges and to form, at their rear, a stop for the links 5. Slots i5 in the end pieces and :center piece receive the links. The iront ends oi spacers I3 abut against the ridges I6 between serrations I in the front ilange 3. A handle Il facilitates placing and removal of the jig.

With the belt in place with cartridges reversed and the jig set thereover, the pusher bar 6 is actuated by means of the handle 'I. The thrust is rst communicated to the points of the cartridges and hence the links E. Since spacers I3 are stopped by ridges I5, the links are held while the cartridges are pushed therefrom by action of pusher bar 6 and the cartridges being steadied by spacers I3, the thrust is continued in a straight line without distortion of the links.

The rear cross-bracing member II and members IB and Iii' serve the additional function of forming a stop for the pusher rod t so that it will not continue forward to damage the points or jam the bullet into the cartridge case after the cartridge has been freed from its links.

It will be seen that the device of the invention is simple and speedy, permits an additional use for a machine already in use and results in more eicient operation of unloading with fewer short rounds.

I claim:

1. In combination with a gang loader ammunition belt lling machine having a bed for sliding motion of cartridges, means spanning said bed and positioned to obstruct sliding motion of the cartridge belt when the cartridges are reversed from their loading position.

2. In combination with a gang loader ammunition belt lling machine having a bed with grooves for sliding motion of cartridges, means spanning said bed and'positioned to obstruct sliding motion of the cartridge belt and overlie the cartridges, said means having spacers positioned between said grooves to guide the cartridges.

3. With a gang loader ammunition belt lling machine having a bed with grooves for sliding motion of cartridges and stop means. for a cartridge belt and means for urging cartridges along said groove, the combination of means spanning said bed and having stop means for the cartridge belt intermediate the said urging means and the position of the normal stop means for said belt.

4. For use with a gang loader ammunition belt filling machine, anadapter for unloading comprising end pieces and bridging means therefor and spacer means carried by said bridging means' and adapted to receive cartridges therebetween for sliding motion.

5. In an adapter as in claim 4, slots in said end pieces for accommodating a cartridge belt transversely of the spacer means.

6. In an adapter as in claim 4, slots in said end pieces for accommodating a cartridge belt, said spacer means terminating short of said slots.

7. For use with a gang loader ammunition belt lling machine having parallel grooves for the sliding of cartridges, stop means for a belt at one end of said grooves and pusher means for cartridges at the other end of said grooves, an adapter comprising end pieces and bridging means therefor, spacer means carried by said bridging means and adapted to seat between the said grooves and abut the stop means; slots in said end pieces to accommodate a cartridge belt transversely but hold the same against motion along the grooves, said spacer means terminating short of a belt between said slots, and said end pieces being of a length to stop the said pusher means short of the length of a cartridge from the said stop means.

8.- A jig comprising parallel end plates, a cross vmember joining the same in a-manner to leave a passage therebetween for accommodation of cartridges, a series of equidistant plates parallel to but shorter than the end plates fastened to the cross member, and a slot in an edge of each of the end plates aligned each with the other but out of line with the shorter plates.

9. A jig comprising a bank of parallel compartments for sliding action of cartridges, said jig open on two ends and one face, and a transverse passage for accommodation of a cartridge belt 10. As an improved article of manufacture an unloader for the purpose described comprising a rectilinear base cross bar adapted to be set against the stop bar of a link loader of the character described, and a plurality of thin parallel abutment fingers iixed o-n the cross bar and extending at right angles from one side thereof in planes normalto the mean plane of the article.

MERLE R. WILLIAMS. 

